Variable spacing mechanism for typewriters



VARIABLE SPACIN G MECHANISM FOR TYPEWRITERS F iled June 8, 1959 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ac 5%??? cf. Wa'z'fe 194a. mm-E Em 5 2922mm Nov. 5, 1940. A. c. WAaTE ET AL 2,220,184

VARIABLE SPAOING MECHANISM FOR TYPEWRITERS Filed June 8, 1939 2 ShetS-Sheet 2 INVENTORS AL. Wal'fe- CF l Val'l'e ATTORNEY.

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Patented Nov. '5, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

2,229,!84 van'umm SPACING 'uaonamsm FOR 7 mnwm'rnas Alden c. Waite, Santa Monica, and Clark 1 Waite, Beverly Hills, Calif.

Application June a, 1939, Serial to. 217,994

5 Claims. (o1. 197-84) Our invention relates to. typewriter spacing means. The principal object of the invention is to provide means on a-typewriter that will 'conspace allotted for a w" is the same as the space" allotted for an i. The result is poorspacing of letters that are out of proportion witheach other. It is an object of the. invention to eliminate this objectionable feature in typewriters. 15 The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description.

In the drawings, like referencecharacters 20 designate similar parts in the several views.

Figure l is a broken elevation, partly in section, of an embodiment of our invention.

Figure 2 is a broken section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1. 25 Figure 3 is an enlarged face view of an escapes ment wheel comprised in the invention. Figure 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3. 1

Figure 5 is an enlarged, longitudinal section 3 of the upper portion of Figure 1.

Figuresfi, 7 and Bare broken face views of successive escapement wheelscomprised in .1- I. I, 3g Figure 9 is a perspective view of pallets mount- 35 ed on a pallet frame.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the

reference numbers I0 and i2 designate members of the frame-work of a typewriter. Bolted to member i3 is a relatively fixed escapement 40 wheel l3. The bolts are indicated at II.

A bearing I5 is fastened to the frame member l2 by bolts it. Mounted between the bearing I5 and the stationary escapement wheel i3 is a. series of rotary escapement wheels l1, l8 and I3. 45 Each of the-rotary escapement wheels has a circumferential series of teeth. The teeth 20 on the wheel I! are closer together thantheteeth 2! on the wheel [3, and the teeth 2| on the wheel i3 are in turn closer than the teeth .22 on the 60 wheel it. No teeth are provided on the circumference of the stationarywheel l3. Each of the wheels comprises a body member 23 from the side of which projects a bearing sleeve 24. A shoulder 25 surrounds the bearing 55 sleeve 24. The shoulder 23 is radially apertured,

is provided as a stop to limit movement of here-- inafter described abutments, within the hearing sleeve 24.

The pallet frame 3| pivots on the escapement wheels by means of the .trunnions 33. A lever 5 arm 32 on said frame normally projects toward the axis of the escapement wheel lengthwise of the aperture'25. Pallets 33 and I34 are formed on the pallet frame 3|. The pallet 33 is arched. as shown at 34, so that teeth of the adjacent escapement wheel may pass the pallet 33'at either side thereof. The pallets 33 and I34 are offset with regard 'to the circumferential row of teeth on the adjacent escapement wheel and the pallet frame is so arranged that one pallet or the other is arranged in the path of the next succeeding tooth on the adjacent escapement wheel. 1 A conventional rack 35 engages a pinion 36. The pinion 35 is loose upon the bearing sleeve 24 of the escapement wheel H. A spring-urged detest 31 mounted on the escapement wheel ll engages the pinion 36 and causes the escapement wheel H to rotate with the pinion'when the latter is rotating in a counterclockwise direction, 5

as it isshownin Figure2. When the pinion 36 is rotating in a clockwis direction, as shown in said figure, the pinion rotates independently of the escapement wheel l1.

To operate the respective pallet frames, concentric plungers 38, 33 and 43am telescopically arranged. Theplungers 38, 39' and 4!] respectivelyghave grooved heads 4|, 42 and 43 at the outer ends thereof. ,The inner ends of the plungers 38, 39 and respectively, have abut-'35 ment ends 44, 45 and 46. The abutment ends 44, 45 and 46 are arranged to, trip the pallet frames mounted on the escapement wheels I3, 19

' for selective operation of the escapement wheels.

An arm 5i provides pivots 52 for the fork levers 43, 49 and 53. Pivotedfln'gers 53 on a frame member 54 have lugs 55 that engage ends of the levers 48, 49 and 53. Rods 53 having hooked ends 31 are hooked around the lugs 55. The'rods 58 are connected to the horizontally moving rods (not shown) that actuate the type bars of the typewriter. Such. rods are conventional construction and familiar to those skilled in the art, so further description and illustration of same are deemed unnecessary.

In the operation of the invention, the escapement wheel "may be connected to space for m narrow letters such as the letter "1." The escapement wheel l9 may be used to space for wide letters such as m or w. The escapement wheel l8 may be used to space for medium size letters such as n," a, etc. It is to be understood also thatcombinations of these three escapement wheels may be employedto provide other varieties of spaces, for more than one of the escapements can be used at a time.

By way of illustration of the operation, if the plunger 38 is moved inward .with regard to the escapement wheels, its abutment head ll trips the pallet frame 3| on the wheel". This permits such pallet frame to release the engaged tooth on the escapement wheel I! and the other pallet on the same frame engages the next succeeding tooth on the escapement wheel IS. The conventional spring (not shown) that actuates the carriage tends to rotate the escapement wheels, through the intermediary of the rack 35 and the pinion 36. The escapement wheel I9 is thus brought to rest, which thereby brings to rest the succeeding escapement wheels I8 and I1. Each escapement wheel depends upon the next preceding escapement wheel for its stop position.

If the plunger 39 is moved inwardwith regard to the escapement wheels, the pallet frame ll on the wheel I9 is rocked, thus releasing the escapement wheel l8 until the next tooth thereof is engaged by the other pallet on the pallet frame on the wheel l9. The wheel I! then comes to rest; The wheel I! not having been released, remains stationary. The wheel 11 comes to rest with the wheel H. In this manner, each escapement wheel is dependent upon the next preceding escapement wheel and all of the succeeding escapement wheels move together as a unit until the actuated escapement wheel is stopped.

Conventionalmechanism of a typewriter ineluding carriage, (except the rack 35) keys, typebasket etc., are not shown or described since they are well known to those skilled in the art. f

While we have illustrated and described what ,weno'w regard as the preferred embodiment of our invention, the construction is, of course, suh- V ject to modifications without departingfrom the spirit and scope of our invention. We, therefore, do not vwish to restrict ourselves to theparticular form of construction illustrated and described, but desire to .-avail ourselves of all modifications which may fall within the scope of the appended claims. j

Having thus described our invention, what we claimand desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. A spacing'mechanism for a typewriter having a carriage controlling escapement 'pihion, said mechanism including escapement wheels having differently spaced teeth and otherwise of similar form, the first of said wheels being foperatively connected to the escapement pinion,

a pallet member carried bythe second wheel and effective .to control the first wheel "and also connect ,the second wheel with the flrst wheel, a second pallet carried by a stationary part of the mechanism andin" engagement with and controlling the second wheel, said pallets being of similar construction and having extensions in line with one another in the mechanism, and key-operated means movable along 'said line for independently engaging said extensions to actuate the pallets.

ing a carriage controlling escapement pinion, said mechanism including a series of escapement wheels spaced apart in line, having differently spaced teeth and otherwise of similar form, the

first of said wheelsbeing operatively connected carried by a stationary part of the mechanism and engaging the teeth of the last wheel of the series, pallet members carried by said last wheel and each intermediatewheel of the series, each of said last mentioned pallets engaging the teeth of the next foremost wheel of the series including the first wheel, all of said pallets being of similar construction and having actuating extensions in a line lengthwise of the series of wheels, and key operated control means movable along said line for independently actuating said pallet extensions. 7

3. In a spacingmechanism for typewriters, a series of axially alined and spaced apart eseapement wheels having teeth spaced apart different distances, said wheels being otherwise of similar construction and having central openings in a line and forming a bore axially of the series, pallet members of similar construction in the spaces between the wheels for controlling and connecting the same in the series, and having,

actuating extensions projecting into the said bore, and keyroperated selecting means in said bore having portionsindependently engaging and actuating the said extensions of the pallet members.

4. In a typewriter having a carriage, a rack 'on the carriage, and a pinion meshing with the rack and limiting longitudinal movement of, the

1 rackand carriage: spacing mechanism for the typewriter comprising a plurality of key-selected escapement wheels in axially alined .and' spaced apart relation, having axial openings forming with one another an axial bore, the wheels being connected with the pinion and having teeth of relatively different spacing, for limiting the amount of rotation of the pinion to differentamounts, pallet members separately controlling said wheels and having actuating portions ex-.

tending into said bore, and hey-operated tele-. scoping plungers shiftable in 'said' borefor selectively actuating the pallet-members to release the wheelsthediiferent amounts respectively.

5. In a typewriter having a carriage, a rack on the carriage, and a pinion meshing with the rack and limiting longitudinal movement ofthe rack and carriage: spacing mechanism for the typewriter comprising a plurality of axially alined and spaced apart toothed escapement wheels, the teeth being different distances apart on the diflerent wheels, at least one of the wheels providing bearing means for an adjacent wheel,

said bearing means having centrally alined open-' ings forming a bore, pallet frames on'a relatively stationary part of the mechanism and on at least one oi' the 'wheels movable in the spaces between the wheels and having portions projecting into said bore, pallets on the frames arranged to engage teeth on an adjacent wheel, reciproeating means in the bore to selectively engage andmove one or another-of the pallet frames,

- with the escapement pinion, a pallet member and key-operated mechanism to actuate said reciprocating means.

ALDEN C. WAITE. CLARK F. WAITE. 

